Celebrating body modification culture since 1994.
Written by
….but honestly, I’m not posting this tattoo because I want you to play a few rounds of pocket pool. I actually wanted to show it because they’ve done a nice job hiding a caesarian (ie. c-section) pubic scar — something that 600,000 people in America alone have to deal with every year. This is on IAM:_GEISHA_, and was done by DZ at Studio 138 in Kalamazoo.
Click to uncensor it if you’d like.
Written by
This may be one of my favorite “geek tattoos” yet, an Internet-themed sleeve by Jason Ostricher at Talisman Tattoo in Modesto, California. It’s got everything! A monitor with dB schema, RJ-45 cables, 1011011 binary, the Web, and of course every nerd’s fantasy, a sexy Catholic schoolgirl on a laptop with a dress a little too short…
You can find more pictures of Jesse’s tattoos at KingJes.com (click on Pictures then on Tattoos).
Written by
I always wonder if God exists, would he have a problem with tattoos like this one just started on IAM:poiison by Chris at Immortal Images in Wynnum, Qld. Australia. But, now that I think about it, if God exists, he is the dude that invented sex, right? So when Poiison wanders up to the pearly gates, St. Peter will call out to God to come and see, and in an immense thundering voice God will proclaim, “Angels, we’re instituting a new, minimalist dress code” as John “cover up those boobs” Ashcroft curses him from Hell as writhes in a lake of eternal fire.
Written by
Grr… I had a whole lot of entries set up to post and then had a couple crashes and lost them. I’ll try and get them up in the morning. Anyway, like I said, this is a quick and dirty post, so let’s start with something dirty by IAM:xDYINGxTOxLIVEx (check his page for more stuff).
I suspect that this tattoo may hurt the client who got it with the ladies (or the guys). Ah, bugchasers. Maybe I’m missing the point of the tattoo, but all I can see is “I <3 STDs”
I like this response to a back inury… when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, right? I’ll avoid injecting some nasty “when life gives you a gash in the back, make…” echo and let the picture speak for itself. Tattoo by Anna at Anna’s Artat2 in Bunnell, Florida.
And speaking of pinups, it’s my old friend Masuimi Max, as tattooed by Larry Brogan over at Tattoo City. If memory serves that’s based on a print by Olivia, but my memory does not always serve.
Um. Let’s branch off into offensive territory. I’ve been getting a lot of concerned mail about this photo. I guess it says kill all the white man or something like that. Brujeria fans I suspect?
Americans use us for wiping their asses
They treat us like pig shit
Have balls and be men
A… trip north
Centuries pass and our race is fucked up
American bastards, they give us dick and…
Forced into poverty,
We are…
Your vengance will be your dark destiny
Killing white boys – Long live the race!!!
Killing white boys – Like Pancho Villa!!!
Killing white boys – Satan takes care of you
Killing white boys – Killing white boys!!!
Machete in hand and hot native blood
Satanic force, looking for vengance
In the north we will take over
Killing white boys – Long live the race!!!
Killing white boys – Like Ricky Ramirez!!!
Killing white boys – Satan takes care of you
Killing white boys – Killing white boys!!!
See, racism isn’t limited to gringos.
But for those of you inspired to come kill whitey, let me remind you that whitey is well armed. I’ll have to do a dedicated entry on it some time, but gun tattoos are very common — many people even get very accurate gun tattoos, including the serial number of their favorite gun. Anyway, this piece is by Hans Martinsson over at Tattoo Martin in Skövde, Sweden.
Maybe you like your evil traditional? Here’s an Anton Lavey (Church of Satan founder) portrait by Rizob Pace at Revolution Studios in Omaha, Nebraska.
On the slim chance that any staunch Republicans are reading this, I’ll give you your own dose of your own personal Satan, Michael Moore. This is by Cory Ferguson at Enlightened Art in Oakville, Ontario.
Now someone send me in an Anne Coulter portrait and the trifecta started by the posting of an Ayn Rand tattoo will be completed. Addictive guilty-pleasure site by the way, check it out…
Written by
…butt I’ve been doing more staring than writing.
Tony Styles / Evil Ways Tattoo
Seriously though, I do have lots of stuff to post… I’ve just been focussing on getting Phil (BME’s new employee) trained… the last image updates are mostly from him. Sorry for the pause.
Written by
I think outsiders to body modification probably assume that scarification is a very masculine and “tough” or “brutal” artform, which is ironic given that in a historic context it often serves as a feminine form of expression. In any case, it’s come of age to the point here in the West that we’re able to see it fill that role. I wanted to show two pieces from Shawn Porter‘s ScarWars. The piece on the left is by IAM:vampy on IAM:square, and the piece on the right is a “scar fusion” piece by Brian and Jesse Villemaire on IAM:amnesiac. Both are between two and three months old in these pictures.
ScarWars II is tentatively scheduled for February 2006 in Los Angeles (but don’t quote me on that). Keep an eye on the SW website for more info.
Sorry about that, I had to correct the gender imbalance in this entry.
Written by
Rape is an act of violence that, in practice, takes something beautiful and turns it into something ugly. We are familiar with acts of rape in prison, of our women, and of our children.
Rape by tattoo is not a new concept; most of us are familiar with the numbers etched onto the arms of concentration camp victims. (Survivors’ stories are in the news all the time, but they’re generally not part of the BME Newsfeed. We did, however, log David Blaine honoring Primo Levi by getting Mr. Levi’s number, 174517, as a permanent tribute.) I first read about this cruel practice in the noir thrilled Flood. In a very moving scene, the beautiful Flood shows the scar from when she used gasoline to burn off the tattoo bikers put onto her thigh. Later, I learned more about it in the rec.arts.bodyart FAQ. What makes this a particularly brutal crime is that the survivors’ scars are visible as well as emotional.
This crime has been prelavent in the news in recent months. Dr. Gregory Roche removed a vulgar tattoo from the face of a New York teenager after some former friends and he got into a fight over a girl. A gay inmate in Texas has been granted permission to sue the state; in addition to sexual abuse, the inmate’s face had been forcibly tattooed.
Recently, the tables were turned in the UK. Jackie Clarke lured her alleged rapist to her home, drugged him, and then used a pin and ink to tattoo “Rapist” onto his penis. While fellow victims around the world may cheer her on, the judge hearing her case says that her actions “amount to torture.”
A pimp in Illinois tattooed his nickname, “Mr. Cream,” onto the bodies of two teenage girls. In a happier turn of events, justice may be served: he crossed state lines, and the FBI and US Attorney now plan to make an example out of Mr. Cream.
Written by
It’s pretty common to hear “oops” stories about kanji tattoos — “I thought it meant ‘brave warrior’ but in fact it means ‘orange chicken!’” — but tattoo symbology is a rich subject, so I wanted to tell a story about my friend Mike.
That’s him getting tattooed by Joi, and the resultant biohazard symbol tattoo. He got it right before the 2004 Rhode Island SusCon. At a suspension convention, controlling cross contamination is extremely important and far from easy. I’ll let Mike tell how people responded to his tattoo in his own words:
I went back to my room and checked my e-mail. The friend to whom I’d sent pictures [of my tattoo to] had replied. His response was “Ummm…. Isn’t that usually for poz guys?” That was not the response I was looking for!
[Earlier Ron Garza had also] wanted to know if I knew the significance of my new tattoo. I felt myself getting nervous. He told me that among gay men, it’s an indication that one is HIV positive. At first, I thought he was joking. It took me a few minutes to realize that he was serious.
How the hell did all of these people know about the significance of my tattoo when I didn’t? I spent most of that weekend in a panic. Obviously, I was a little freaked out. The last thing I wanted was for people to think that I’m HIV positive when I’m not. As a gay man, that’s a pretty sensitive topic for me.
Oops!
He’d considered a cover-up, but Mike ended up deciding to keep the tattoo as a reminder to himself that he hadn’t done his homework, a mistake he never wanted to repeat. I should mention that Mike also has several gorgeous tattoos by Jon Clue, including a custom Dr. BME logo.
